Editing Angers (section)

=== Renaissance ===

[[File:King Rene and Jeanne de Lavalle. Louvre.jpg|thumb|left|[[René of Anjou|René of Naples and Anjou]], nicknamed ''Good King René'', and his second wife, [[Jeanne de Laval]]]]
King [[René of Anjou]] contributed to the economic revival in a city that had been diminished by the [[Black Death]] (1347–1350) and the [[Hundred Years War]] (1337–1453). A man of great culture and generosity, René transformed Angers into a cultural and political center and held court there. He transformed the castle moat into a [[menagerie]] and built several gardens. He also founded in Angers a new [[Ordre du Croissant]] which was supposed to compete with the [[Order of the Golden Fleece]], created several years earlier.

In 1474, [[Louis XI of France]], in his attempt to conquer Anjou, came to Angers with his army, asking for the keys of the city.<ref>Histoire de René d'Anjou, Louis François Villeneuve-Bargemont tome II (1446–1476) Editions J. J. Blaise, Paris : 1825</ref> René, then 65 years old, did not want to lead a war against his nephew and surrendered his domains without a fight. Thus, Anjou ceased to be an [[appanage]] and fell into the Royal domain. After his death, René was buried in 1480 in [[Angers Cathedral|Saint-Maurice cathedral]].

[[File:Angers - Logis Barrault (2).jpg|thumb|The ''Logis Barrault'', where the [[Edict of Nantes]] was prepared]]
In 1551, Angers became the seat of a [[bailiwick]] and the [[presidial court]] of a jurisdiction, a position the city kept until 1790. At the same time, with the growth of [[Protestantism]] in France, a Catholic was placed at the head of the city and its castle while the [[bourgeoisie]] formed a Catholic militia to protect Angers from the [[Huguenots]]. The bishop, [[Gabriel Bouvery]], organized on his side an "Angevin League".

When the news of the [[St. Bartholomew's Day massacre]] reached Angers, another massacre took place in the city. The bodies of slain Protestants were thrown into the [[Mayenne (river)|Mayenne]]. It was the [[aldermen]] who stopped the slaughter.<ref>Pierre Miquel, ''Op. cit.'', p. 286</ref>

In 1598, the [[Edict of Nantes]] was prepared by [[Henri IV of France|Henri IV]] in Angers. From 6 March until 2 April, Angers was the ''de facto'' capital of France and the King tried all means to satisfy the Catholics of the city, for example by laying the cornerstone of the new Capucine convent.